Chapter 8: Healing Potion and an unwanted guest
Remus woke up a few days later, the rays of the sun softly tickling his face. He stood up hardly on his bed, letting out a shudder as the fresh air that was sliding over his skin gave him the same feeling as if a knife was poking him.
He sat down slowly, letting out a slight moan, looking around him. James was asleep, sitting in the armchair to his right, his head slightly to the side, his glasses had slid on his nose. Sirius was on his left, his head lying on his bed, near his hips sleeping too.
Remus looked up to see Peter sitting on an uncomfortable chair near his bed, reading the book Remus had left there the day before. Peter had not even heard him stand up. The werewolf held out a trembling hand and gently began to stroke the mass of Sirius's black hair to try to wake him up.
-Moony! Peter suddenly squealed, seeming to notice him at last, straightening himself up quickly to drop the book and frantically began to search into his bag. Remus laughed, shaking his head, causing him to groan painfully again. -You should go back to bed. Peter told him. -It was a hard night for everyone. He said as he approached to make him gently lay back in his pillows, handing him a piece of chocolate that Remus took with great pleasure.
- Thank you Pet '... said Remus, -How long have you all been here? You didn't go to classes?
-We did go, but professor McGonagall just gave up when she learned you had a very bad night. Peter scratched his head, laughing. -But I think she just wanted them to leave, they were such drama queens, trying to explain in front of everyone how dead ill you were last night, and that they couldn't handle letting you all on your own in this dreadful place that is the Hospital Wing.
Remus laughed, before turning into his bed searching for his pajamas top. He was half naked, and not only did he feel tortured by the wind drafts, but he hated to be so exposed. -Pass me my pajamas Pet', will you? He said trying to catch the piece of clothing that lying on the chair Peter was sitting in.
Peter handed it to him and tried to help him put it on. Remus let out a scream as Peter touched roughly his skin, he busted into excuses as Remus let out another scream which immediately awoke Sirius. He sat up quickly, like a watchful dog, grabbing Peter's arm, who was still trying to help Remus.
-Leave it to me Wormtail, I'll help him. Sirius told him before stretching and yawning, messing up his hair in the same way James always did, but his locks fell back in front of his eyes as if he had just spent hours hairdressing them, with the same casual elegance that was so peculiar to him.
Sirius looked at him, removing the sleeve Peter had managed to put on Remus's arm, grabbing the healing potion Mrs. Pomfrey was always leaving them, so they could help Remus without calling her every time. She knew they would always be there for him and whatever she could say, Sirius knew it was a relief for her not to have to handle a poor sixteen years old werewolf after every transformation, all on her own.
-Come here. He said softly, helping Remus stand up to sit in his bed and start rubbing his back with the healing potion. Remus pushed a little shriek when Sirius put his hand on him, which awoke James briskly, but he quickly relaxed, closing his eyes and letting himself go under the warm hands of Sirius that was rubbing gently his wounded skin.
Sirius had always been the only one to help him apply the healing potion. Remus had hated contact with others since he was very young and was refusing to show his bare skin to people. But Sirius had never left him the choice. He had taken the healing potion, told him that it was stupid because they were his friends and they certainly wouldn't make any rude comments on his scares or whatever else. They knew how hard it was for him to bear this curse, and that they loved him, and wanted to helped him. He had then order a crying Remus to stopped clutching onto his pajamas and had started applying the potion on him.
Peter was too stressed out to be able to apply it to him, and James had always told him he had only to ask him if he needed help, that he would help him for sure. But, Sirius had always taken the lead and since then, every day after a full moon, he was the only one who applied to potion to him.
It was only with him anyway, that Remus felt confident enough to let him see his body. Not that he didn't like the other two, on the contrary, but Sirius had always been different. Maybe because Sirius was someone different, who had also witnessed horrible things in his life, or maybe it was for some other reasons. Remus had always kept to the first explanation, because it was logical and because he was refusing to see anything else.
He let out a sigh of relief as Sirius's hands ran slowly through his chest, feeling a radiant heat invade him as he was slowly feeling better, unable to tell whether it was the healing potion, or Sirius rubbing gently his skin that made him feel that heat. He opened his eyes when he stopped and felt the cold of his pajamas' tissue slide against him, James getting up to help him lie comfortably against his pillows.
- We're gonna have to leave you. He said as he pushed back his glasses on his nose. -We managed to coaxed Minnie, but I doubt it'll work with Slughorn.
-If we were in Slytherin, or in his little club, maybe we could have an exemption. Said Sirius, looking up at the sky with disdain. James laughed out loud, as he gives Remus his book back, while Sirius gave him a small supply of chocolates, gently placing his hand on Remus's head. -We'll come back for lunch. He told him, not wanting to leave.
-I should be fine, thank you. Remus replied, smiling softly, watching all three of them leaves as he laid back comfortably in his pillows.
-I really thought that this time we were screwed. Said Sirius as he walked out of the Hospital Wing, stretching and yawning. But he suddenly stopped and backs off abruptly, James and Peter automatically turning in the same direction as Sirius's. He had immobilized himself, eyes riveted on the other end of the corridor. He seemed to be fixing an invisible spot. He looks like a dog sniffing for a brief moment, wickedly folding his eyes. -You gotta be kidding me. Said Sirius in a whisper, that resembled more of a dog groan, than actual words.
-What's happening? James shouted, following Sirius as he rushed in the opposite direction, running along the corridor at a rapid pace, Peter struggling to keep up to them to not let himself be distanced.
Sirius quickly pulled out his wand, turning the corridor corner. -Petrificus Totalus! He yelled pointing something James couldn't see yet. He than heard something fells heavily to the ground. With a satisfied smile, spanning his wand between his fingers, Sirius reaches the inert body of Severus Snape, lying on the cold floor, unable to move. -Well, well, what do we have here? Mocked Sirius as he crouched down in front of Snape's body.
-Hello Snivellus, James laughed, crossing his arms together. -What are you doing here, the Dungeons are a long way away from the first floor. He pulled out his wand, shaking his head, Sirius getting up to stand next to James. Yet he turned coldly to his friend when he heard James murmured the counter curse to release Severus, when he had expected him to violently curse him, not released him. Snape stood up, painfully. -Get the hell out of here. Said James. -And don't look around it'll be better for you.
-You gits! Yelled Snape, trying to catch his breath as Sirius, despite the 'no!' James shouted at him, threw himself on him and knocked him hard against the wall, suddenly driving with rage. He was going to hurt him so much that he would remember it for the rest of his life.
He was furious, he was blind with hatred. Furious that he was still in their way, furious that he was still trying to hear their conversations, furious that he still dares to spy on what was happening on the Hospital Wing while Remus was in there. He had had enough of him, he was going to make him pay for it, it had last long enough. He didn't need his wand to do anything to him, he was going to crush him with his bare hands if necessary and to hell with what could happen next, he did not care.
He was going to strikes his fist in Snape's face, but he was held back by James, who pulled him towards him to push him further, disarming Snape, who had tried to grab his wand in his robes' pocket. -Calm down Padfoot. He said, looking at Sirius, his wand still pointing in Snape's direction, without even looking at him.
Peter quickly grabbed Sirius, trying to silence him as he was shouting insults and incomprehensible words in Snape's direction, Peter was having all the difficulty in the world to maintain him in place, Sirius was at least a head taller than him. James turned his head towards Snape, slowly approaching the boy, picking up his wand that had roll on the ground when he had been disarmed.
-Get out of here. Said James coldly. -And I don't want to see you lurk near Remus anymore, or any of us. He said, fixing his hazel eyes into Snape's black and cold ones. -Next time I'll let Sirius tear your head off, this ain't gonna be pretty.
-You're not going to get out of everything so easily forever. Said Snape, snapping black glares at them. -One day, you'll get what you deserved.
James rolled his eyes to the ceiling with annoyance, before pushing strongly Snape against the wall to look at him. -Leave, now. He said, before turning on his heels, catching Sirius's arm, forcing him to follow him while he was resisting, trying to get out of James's grasp.
Sirius undo his friends' grasp, getting ahead of them with a grunt, replacing his robes with a snobbish gesture, flipping his wand in his hand, angry at them.
-It was not worth it. Peter said, trying to quench his friend's anger.
-You should have let me take care of him! Sirius shouted to James. -He would have had what he deserved for once! He would have stopped following us everywhere to try and caught us doing sometime wrong, I've had enough of him and his little crew of Voldemort's fanatics!
-Lower your voice, James told him frowning, as they went down to the dungeons for the potion class. -Pet's right, he's not worth it.
- And Moony?! Continued to scream Sirius, James clutching him brusquely by the shoulder to ask him once again, to lower his voice. -Have you thought about Moon'?! Or you don't care? Now that Snape is no longer dragging behind Evans you're happy, are you!? That's all you wanted?! He spat out. -If he ends up discovering Remus's illness, what will we do? Have you thought about that?! Have you only think about Remus for one second?!
- I constantly think about what could happen if he found out Remus' s disease okay! Stopped acting as if I did not care! Because I do care! James shouted at him even louder, surprising Sirius who shut his mouth. -We'll take care of it, it's not going to happen, Remus will remain safe! Who do you think I am!? But, breaking his head in small pieces is not the right solution, and you know it!
James let out a loud sigh and raised his glasses on his nose, still staring at Sirius, who finally nodded and apologized, somewhat reluctantly, to have been carried away. There was only James in the hole world, who could make Sirius Black admit that he had been wrong. James than nodded, passing a hand through his hair to ruffle them.
-What is going on over here? Marlene's voice said, making Peter jumped in surprise, Sirius not even looking back at her, still a bit frustrated, worried about Remus, as he always was.
-We can hear you all over the dungeons. Lily added, watching them one by one -Where is Remus?
-Elsewhere. James replied simply, stroking his hand again through his hair, looking at her for a brief moment before looking back at Sirius, shrugging his shoulders at the mute question he knew he had asked him -We're going to be late, I told Moony I would take some notes for him, let's go. He said, walking backwards to see the two others.
He winked at Lily as she looked at him frowning, before grabbing Peter by the shoulders, telling him something that made him laugh as they entered the Potion class, going to sit at their respective places. Marlene sat next to James, Peter and Sirius were paired up, while Lily was left alone as Remus wasn't there.
She looked at them for a moment, finding them odd today. They looked tense, on the look-out as they were rarely, and she wondered if Remus was well. It must have been a hard night for him if he hadn't come to classes, she knew he hated missing classes. She had not been able to go see him in the morning, and she thought that maybe it was not a good idea with the weird looks Potter had been giving her since first term.
She did not complain that he had stopped asking her to go out with him, but she found it a little displaced from him that he suddenly became so cold with her, as if she were some Slytherin girl he didn't knew. She had not done anything to him, right? She had simply refused his, more than invasive and oppressive, advances.
She sighed, thinking that maybe, only maybe, she had been too hard with him when she'd told him she'd prefer the giant squid to him. She glanced at him, before shaking her head, raising her eyes to the sky, letting out a slight groan against her will. James had put his arm around Marlene's shoulders, and was so close to her, that his face was buried in his long blonde hair, while she was laughing at only Gods knows what he was telling her.
Lily finally turned his head away and concentrated on professor Slughorn, as James was (Merlin, will he ever stop doing this?!) running his hand in his hair. He had finally let go of Marlene and was listen to the professor too.
Maddie-Taylor1654 and Liz: Thank you so much to both of you! ^^ Hope you liked this chapter too!